Oppose the Cobb County Schools Balanced Calendar

Cobb County is reducing the size of the Summer vacations for the schools in favor of a "balanced calendar" - increasing "mini" breaks within the rest of the school year. This has to stop for a number of reasons.

The poor and needy find it a lot harder to get care for their children during a series of mini breaks than they do during a long summer because: a) students from universities and colleges are also on break during the summer and are available for cheap child care b) there are many summer day camp options in the summer at a lot cheaper rates than during the mini breaks c) often they can send the kids away for the whole summer at just the cost of a flight or long car drive at each end of the summer (not an option for each of the mini breaks) d) it is just easier logistically to organize one long stretch of childcare than lots of short spurts of childcare.

The cost of air conditioning to keep the schools and admin buildings open for the whole month of August are huge. The school system could save a lot of money if the summer break was extended until the beginning of September.

It is easier for teachers who are finding it hard to make ends meet to get a job for the length of the summer break, rather than trying to find "mini" jobs over the "mini" breaks.

Teachers need a long break over Summer to unwind from the stresses of all the testing and exams that tend to happen just before Summer break. With a longer break they come back refreshed and better able to teach and handle the stresses of teaching.